You have been starved of major international rock acts in recent acts due to overzealous travel warnings and low album sales (a consequence of rampant piracy).

But now there's a 3-day festival to enjoy, the Gudang Garam InterMusic Java Rockin' Land 2010, Carnaval Beach in Ancol, North Jakarta, 8-10 October.

Headline acts include:

Arkarna

Wolfmother

Stereophonics

Smashing Pumpkins

Dashboard Confessional

The Vines

You can see the full line-up here, which includes local acts Slank, Renny Djayusman and Merah Putih Band, Oppie Andaresta & BOP, Mobilderek, and the Brandals.

This author is particularly interested to see The Smashing Pumpkins. Back in their 1990s heyday, the Pumpkins had the biggest-selling rock double-album of all time, eclipsing even Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”.

Unfortunately, their subsequent dabblings in drugs, line-up changes, electronic music, battles with music labels and band management, more line-up changes, side projects, and still more line-up changes have resulted in them falling off the radar in recent years.

This one is for the fans in Indonesia who have parted with their very own cold hard cash to see Wolfmother. We realise their (sic) are sponsors and we neither support or condemn the sponsors affiliated with the festival.

Wolfmother would have joined a select group of conscientious foreign artists who objected to tobacco sponsorship of their Indonesian concerts. The only two in recent times have been Alicia Keys and former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.

They like touring Indonesia, they don't like tobacco sponsorship

Ironically, the event will (like all major concerts) be officially smoke-free for safety reasons; no lighters, cigarettes, matches or any other incendiary devices are permitted. However, it is unlikely that people will be searched too closely, and pretty ladies will probably be handing out free samples as patrons leave.

Indonesian rock concerts are really cheap in comparison to equivalent festivals in Australia, Europe or the USA. Single day passes are Rp299 000 ($US33), while 3-day passes are Rp690 000 ($US75). Tickets are available through the official website, Detikshop and good record stores like Aquarius Mahakam and Duta Suara. (To prevent scalping and piracy, tickets aren’t distributed until two days before the show; you receive a voucher which you exchange later).

Anything related to tobacco sponsorship will undoubtedly affect my decision, including the tobacco sponsored scholarship that I was never interested in applying for. On a second thought, if the fund is used to educate people about the hazard of smoking… well, that’s probably a different matter.

“you can all go on about the dangers of smoking but it’s killing a lot of the local music industry here, banning cigarette companies from sponsoring…. ”

Maybe it’s time to shift the paradigm? A music concert (especially rock) has always been associated with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes. The tobacco sponsorship for that kind of events only justifies the impression even more.

Looking at it from the brighter side, it’s actually an opportunity for other youth-oriented products company to give sponsorship and grab these prospective customers, given that those in music industry can meet the challenge to convince them. Time to present more ‘healthy’ atmosphere for music performance.

“i don’t really see that happening,at least not the way the cigarette companies are/were doing it…”

Cigarette companies are/were indeed focusing their promotion on the events like music concert or sport tournament, because they are given some constraints to display their advertisement on television or printed media, which makes it ironic because the result of this “below the line” advertisement is more powerful than those broadcasted in media.

Telecommunication companies and beverage companies seem to be the ones going to fill the vacant slot for sponsorship in music industry. But I myself doubt if the total ban for tobacco sponsorship can be done effectively. Too many conflict of interests. 😀

The society & their governments that allow the consumption of tobacco products to children as low in age as five with an increase of late of 400% screws itself in the long term.Millions of people suffer long drawn out painful deaths due to the devious grug pushing tactics of Tobacco Companies. The Indonesian Head of Phillip Morris in Jakarta is a well educated individual who is a NON SMOKER & declares that their products are dangerous for your health,the non smoking signs on the office walls backs up his cigarette companies stance.The Media & advertising world has much to be ashamed of in the seductive methods to entice more children & impressionable young people as candidates to the addictive drug which guarantees them more millions of dollars in loot from the ultimate early painful deaths their methods & products are responsible for.Today a friend is being cremated prematurely after suffering ten years of pain not being able to breath properly & constantly being on various life support machines.The Doctors didnt think he was worth a transplant due to his stupid decision making of smoking in his teenage years.Get smart…DONT SMOKE. Quality of life is more enticing than a quantity of life sold to you by the carpetbaggers & flim flam artists of the business world.Try to control your anxiety by other means even if it means twiddling your toes You will live longer & save a hell of a lot of money that you contribute to the obscene wealth of the drug pushers.You are being targeted & conned at every level dear Indonesia